A/N: Hi all! If you're still reading, thanks! Thanks especially to Fangirl308. She's such a sweetheart and her reviews are a big encouragement for me to keep writing! Other reviews or criticism would, of course, be welcome. Also, I'm fully back into the swing of things at school now as of this week, so expect more wait time between chapters most likely, but longer chapters to make up for that fact! As always, I do not own the OUAT characters.

Snow had just learned to drive and she knew little about the concept of gas or filling up the car before a long drive. She and the girls made it into Maine before the car started to tremble and act funny. By then, it was dark, all three girls were asleep, and she had no idea where she was going—the woman giving her directions through the tiny box ("the GPS, silly! Not a real woman") had gone silent miles ago. Frowning worriedly and squinting in the dark to see any signs that might give her any indication as to where they were, she pulled her car over to the side of the road.

She got out, closing the door carefully so as not to wake the girls, and studied the car. From what little she could see, nothing was wrong with it. Sighing, she leaned against it, weary from both the drive and the complexities of this world. The area was heavily wooded on both sides, the street a long, dark strip of asphalt that seemed out of place. It reminded her a little of the Enchanted Forest and her nerves ebbed away a bit. They quickly reemerged, however, at the sight of bright headlights tearing toward her in the darkness.

They cut off along with the car and in the darkness she could scarcely make out the figure of a man, his shadow tall, coming toward her. She tensed, her gaze flickering quickly toward the young girls in the car, and stood up straighter. She might not have her bow and arrow with her, but the jeans that she wore would be easier to fight in than any of her gowns or breeches had been. A click alerted her senses and a small beam of light appeared, pointed in her direction and illuminating her features. Thanks to the light the stranger was visible to her, if only barely and they studied one another in the weak light of the flashlight before he spoke. His voice was gruff but friendly with a lilt to it, an accent that she couldn't place at first. When he stepped closer, the frown faded from her face, replaced with a smile brighter than any flashlight beam.

"Huntsman!" She exclaimed, surprised and wonderfully pleased to see him. Still, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, in front of her heart. She wasn't sure what he was doing there or whether or not he was doing Regina's bidding again. She thought back to the carefully packaged apple in the hospital room and shivered.

The huntsman frowned at her faintly, confusion on his face clear even in the faint light. "I'm Graham, the sheriff here in Storybrooke. I noticed you pull over doing my patrol shift." He nodded toward the car. "Is something wrong?"

"I, um. I'm not sure."

"Well, I could take a look. You must be from out of town, huh?" He asked, shooting her a smile.

She nodded quietly and studied him closer, wondering what he was playing at. He didn't seem to recognize her at all, he seemed to be more confused than anything. Or at least he was pretending to be. As nice as it was to see a familiar face, she had to remember that that familiar face had once been under Regina's control trying to kill her and most likely could be again. She had to stay wary and ready for any tricks. But…she really did need help with the car.

After a few minutes of his studying the inner workings of the car—with her blocking his view of Emma and the other girls—he finally peeked at the gas gage and chuckled. "Ah, here's your issue. No gas. There's a gas station further into town; you've only just passed the town limits. I could give you all a ride to Granny's to get some shut eye since it's so late, and help you get your car, and some gas, in the morning. Whaddya say?"

Snow studied him with narrowed eyes. It could be a trick. He could very well be taking them straight to Regina. But what other choice did she have? Wait with the girls by the side of the road until morning? Even if she did that, she still wouldn't have any gas to make the car run again. She sighed. She really missed carriages. Shooting another wary glance in the huntsman's—Graham's—direction, she nodded reluctantly.

"All right. Let me get the girls."

They drove in relative silence, the sound of crickets and the tread of the tires against the road the only sound. Even Katie and Lauren, awake now, maintained their sleepy silence as they took in the small town through the windows. It was a cute town, smaller than their own, surrounded by trees. A small Tudor style cottage loomed before them as Graham drove up to the front and parked, helping get their few bags from the trunk. As Snow lifted Emma's car seat from the back, he made a move to help her, but she shied away, moving the car seat and her daughter from him. He took no real notice, however, and took the rest of their things inside.

"Well, here you go. You check in right over there," He nodded toward an empty front desk. "Granny or Ruby should come if you ring that bell there. I'll be back around nine tomorrow morning to help. Sound good?"

"Yes. Thank you." She looked tired and worried and her shoulders sagged under the weight of the car seat, but she held her head high as she spoke and looked him in the eyes.

Snow's appearance and heartfelt thanks stirred something within him but when he blinked it was gone and he offered her and the girls a smile. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

The white magic was closer than it had been in weeks and much more powerful. What had once been a tiny fluttering pulse seemed to grow stronger by the second, like an insistent itch in the back of Regina's mind that she couldn't scratch. She could feel it rippling over her skin, over her town, in gentle, infuriating waves. She would have to find out just what that meant soon, but for now she had other pressing concerns to deal with. Apparently, it was unethical for a mayor to make decisions about the health of patients, whether or not said patient had any family to make decisions for him. She couldn't interfere, unless the entire town put it to a vote.

Regina's scowl deepened with each word that left Whale's mouth, resisting the overwhelming urge to turn him into a bug and squash him. She was the queen, she could do what she wanted just like she always had, to any of her subjects. Apparently the rulers in this world didn't have that much power. She sneered. Politics. She checked her temper before she grew too angry. She had what the politicians and rulers of this world didn't have—magic. And with it, she could still do as she pleased. After all, she had conjured an entire lifetime of memories for all of the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. What was a little more magical tampering in the grand scheme of things?

She smirked, her eyes flickering to the room where Snow's Charming lie in his hospital bed—still alive and breathing. The red smirk faded from her face soon after, however, as a flurry of activity sent the tiny hospital into an uproar. Lost in thoughts and her own annoyance, she hadn't seen the first nurse step into Charming's room, or the two after that, until they were calling for Dr. Whale and he broke off midsentence to join them. Regina watched them from the hall, rapt with attention, and grabbed a young nurse's arm in a vice grip as she walked by.

"What's going on?" She asked. Anger rolled off her tongue, the tone of a queen instead of a lousy mayor.

The young girl struggled to free her arm. "It's the John Doe, Madame Mayor. He's awake."